A group of friends stranded on the way to a football match approach an abandoned wax museum for help. But the events that unfold find them running from the murderous brothers who manage the place.

House of Wax is a film I've always loved. For horror fans, it delivers what its fans come for--gore, violence, a little sex and lots of wax. First-time director Jaume Collet-Serra lingers over the victims at lengths discomfortingly gratuitous even by slasher standards. It's scary, scream-and-squirm-inducing, and suspenseful, it's unequivocally good--and often downright great. Well-paced and, other than Hilton, capably acted, it also has a great sense of humour about itself.

Considering Paris Hilton was in it I was actually dreading this House of Wax. Some may wonder whether it bears any resemblance to the classic Vincent Price of the same name, other than the name it doesn't at all. I'd rather call it a re-imagining(and an inferior one at that) in alternative to a remake. And actually, despite it not being perfect and also my fears House of Wax was not that bad. It has its flaws, Paris Hilton not helped by her shallow character was awful, a few of the characters are less likable and developed well as others, the screenplay is rather cheesy at times and while Chad Michael Murray is handsome and does appeal to you I am not entirely sure whether he convinced me as the bad boy of the group. However, the rest of the acting is not bad at all, Elisha Cuthbert is actually very good and Brian Van Holt is downright scary as the antagonist. The characters are in a way stereotypical but they are written in a way that makes them generally somewhat likable. House of Wax is not bad to look at either, the camera technique used I am not a fan of but actually it is used effectively and there have been far worse cases of it, but the sets and lighting are wonderfully eerie. The story is on the formulaic side, but not dull or intelligence insulting. Other than Holt, what was impressive about House of Wax was the tense atmosphere, the imaginative and very gory deaths and also the fact that I did find myself amused or frightened throughout. Considering what House of Wax could have been, that is an achievement. All in all, not that bad, not perfect by any stretch but much worse things have happened. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Carly Jones (Elisha Cuthbert), her boyfriend Wade (Jared Padalecki), her troubled brother Nick (Chad Michael Murray), her best friend Paige Edwards (Paris Hilton), Paige's boyfriend Blake and Dalton Chapman are on their way to a football game. They take a detour and decide to camp out for the night. A muddy truck interrupts them and Nick throws a bottle that bust one of the headlights. The next day, Wade's fan belt is cut. Carly discovers a pit of dead animals. Wade and Carly catch a ride from the roadkill driver. They find the town of Ambrose virtually deserted. Most of the small town is attending a funeral. Bo (Brian Van Holt) needs to finish the funeral before selling the fan belt. The couple decides to go into the closed House of Wax. Their friends are driving back after getting stuck in traffic.

This thing starts pretty slow. It turns into a traditional slasher horror movie. The good news is that Paris Hilton gets killed. The wax figures are good creepy background. Elisha Cuthbert is a good scream queen and there is nothing wrong with a slasher movie where pretty young people get massacred.